Umbrella mounting bracket

ABSTRACT

A bracket adapted for the mounting of the standard of an umbrella on the top portion of a back rest of a chair or the like in a manner permitting tilting adjustment of the umbrella to compensate for positions of the sun to provide shade to an individual sitting in the chair with which the umbrella is associated, the bracket including a base detachably attached to the chair and an umbrella standard supporting member which is adjustably connected to the base by a ball and socket type of connection permitting for the tilting of the support relative to the base.

United States Patent 1191 Thomas UMBRELLA MOUNTING BRACKET [76]Inventor: Robert Lee Thomas, 402 W. 12th,

Irving, Tex. 75060 3,602,466 8/1971 Drowns 248/42 FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS 303,854 2/1955 Switzerland 248/43 [451 Nov. 19, 1974216,100 7/1908 Germany 248/40 11,1 10 9/1908 Great Britain 248/43125,931 4/1947 Sweden 248/226 C Primary Examiner-William I-I. Schultz[57] ABSTRACT A bracket adapted for the mounting of the standard of anumbrella on the top portion of a backrest of a chair or the like in amanner permitting tilting adjustment of the umbrella to compensate forpositions of the sun to provide shade to an individual sitting in thechair with which the umbrella is associated, the bracket including abase detachably attached to the chair and an umbrella standardsupporting member which is adjustably connected to the base by a balland socket type of connection permitting for the tilting of the supportrelative to the base,

4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures UMBRELLA MOUNTING BRACKET BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally toholding devices and more particularly to a bracket adapted to mount anumbrella on a lawn chair or the like to shade an individual sitting inthe chair from the sun with the umbrella being adjustably tiltablerelative to the bracket to compensate for varying positions of the chairrelative to the position of the sun at any particular time.

2. Description of the Prior Art A problem normally encountered byindividuals sitting in lawn chairs and the like to enjoy the outdoors isthat if such chairs are not positioned under a tree or other shadedevice of some type, the sun strikes the individual with full forceresulting in discomfort and inconvenience to the individual sitting inthe chair.

While shade devices of one type and another are known to provide shadeto an individual, such devices are normally not readily transportablefor easy set-up at the desired positions so that an individual isnormally limited in choice of seating positions to those chairs havingshade devices located nearby in a manner to shade the chairs, theindividual having to continually change the location of the chair aboutthe shade device to compensate for the varying position of the sunduring different times of the day.

It would thus be desirable to provide a device for mounting a shadedevice in a readily transportable manner relative to an individualschair such that the chair and shade device may be readily andconveniently transported between positions of storage and use or betweenone position of use to another position of use with a minimum of effortand time on the part of the individual.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention recognizes the plight ofan individual wishing to enjoy the outdoors and sit in a chair while yetbeing shaded from the direct rays of the sun, and provides a novelsolution thereto which overcomes the deficiencies and disadvantages ofpresently available shade devices by providing a novel bracketdetachably mounted on the chair and adapted to support an umbrella orthe like in a position above and out of the way of an individual sittingin the chair in a manner to shade the individual from the suns rays, thebracket being tiltable for adjusting the position of the umbrella inorder to compensate for differing positions of the sun along withdifferent positions of the chair relative to the position of the sun.

It is a feature of the present invention to provide an umbrella mountingbracket which is readily attached to and detached from a lawn chair,such as a chair of the folding aluminum frame type, and which is adaptedto receive and support an umbrella therein for providing shade to anindividual sitting in the chair.

A further feature of the present invention provides a bracket adaptedfor mounting an umbrella on the back of a lawn chair or the like andpermitting for the ready ple in its construction and which therefore maybe readily manufactured at a relatively low cost and by simplemanufacturing methods.

The provision of an umbrella mounting bracket for lawn chairs and thelike, such as briefly outlined above, and possessing the statedadvantages, constitutes the principal features of the present invention.The provision of an umbrella mounting bracket which is sturdy anddurable in construction and which therefore may be guaranteed by themanufacturer to withstand many years of intended usage; one which isaesthetically pleasing and refined in appearance; one which provides asecure mounting for the standard of an umbrella therein; one which isadapted to be mounted at varying positions on different types and stylesof lawn chairs; and one which, otherwise, is well adapted to perform theservices required of it, are further desirable features which have beenborne in mind in the production and development of the presentinvention.

Other features and advantages of this invention will be apparent duringthe course of the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings forming apart of this specification, and in which like reference characters areemployed to designate like parts throughout the same:

FIG; 1 is a perspective view of a lawn chair having an umbrella mountedthereon by way of an umbrella mounting bracket constructed in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the mounting bracket asconnected to a frame member of the lawn chair;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG.1;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but with the bracket in the openposition adapted for attachment or removal from the lawn chair;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the bracket with the supporting membershown in some different pivoted positions relative to the lawn chair;and

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the mounting bracket.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings indetail there is illustrated a preferred umbrella mounting bracketconstructed in accordance with the present invention and which isdesignated in its entirety by the reference numeral l0 and which iscomprised of a clamp 11 and a supporting member 12. The mounting bracketmay be manufactured out of metal, wood, hard rubber, high densityplastic, or any other suitable satisfactory material providing 'anaesthetically pleasing and refined appearance with the required strengthand rigidity, with the preferred embodiment being manufactured ofaluminum as having the required characteristics of strength and rigiditywhile being able to withstand continued exposure to the weather elementswithout adverse affects thereto.

The mounting bracket 10 is preferably intended for use with lawn chairsof the aluminum frame type, such as designated by reference numeral 14and which include a back rest having a top tubular frame member 15, theback rest being formed of interwoven mesh strips 16 with the chairhaving a seat 17 similarly formed, the chair 14 being readilycollapsible to a compact position for carrying and storage purposes inthe manner as conventionally known.

The clamp 11 consists of a top member 21 and a bottom member 22, each ofthe members being longitudinally concave curved such that theirrespective interior surfaces 23 and 24 are disposed inconfrontingrelationship with one end 25 of member 21 being pivotally attached totheadjacent end 26 of member 22 by cylindrical pivot connection 27 whichextends transversely of the members and passes through transversealigned slots disposed in each of the member ends 25 and 26, such slotsbeing designated by numerals 28 and 29 res'pectiveiy. Each of themembers 21 and 22 are provided in their ends 31 and 32 which aredisposed in general alignment with ends 25 and 26 and spacedlongitudinally therefrom, with axially aligned threaded openings 33 and34 respectively adapted to receive therein the threaded shank 35 offastener 36 having an enlarged substantially flattened head portion 37extending normal to the axis of the shank and adapted to be graspedbetween the-thumb and forefinger of an individuals head to effect therotation thereof into and out of the aligned openings 33 and 34.

Disposed intermediate ends 25 and 31 of the exterior surface 38 of topmember 21 is an elongated cylindrical socket element 41 having a topsurface 42 with an inwardly axially directed hemi-spherical shapedrecess 43 opening out of the top surface.

The supporting member includes an elongated open ended hollowcylindrical member 51 having a top end 52 and a bottom end 53 with anelongated cylindrical bore 54 axially extending therethrough. Associatedwith the bottom end 53 is a spherical ball member 56 having acylindrical shaft 57 projecting radially out of one end thereof andfixedly mounted in the end of the bore 54 adjacent bottom end 53 suchthat the ball 56 is disposed in axial alignment with the cylindricalmember 51 and spaced a slight distance outwardly from the bottom end 53.The ball 56 is of a diameter complementary to the diameter of the recess43 and is received in the recess in a captured manner permittingrelative movement of the ball in the recess but not permitting the ballto be withdrawn from the recess. A threaded opening 61 extends radiallythrough the side wall of the member 51 to communicate with the bore 54and is adapted to receive therein the threaded shank 62 of a thumb screwtype fastener 63 having an enlarged flattened head portion 64 extendingin a plane normal to the axis of the shank 62 and adapted to be readilygrasped between the thumb and forefinger of an individuals hand in amanner to effect the rotation'of the fastener in opposite directionsabout its axis.

in operation, the clamp 11 is opened, such as seen in FIG. 4, and isplaced about the top tubular frame of lawn chair 14 after which the ends31 and 32 are fastened together by fastener 36 in a manner to tightlyengage the clamp about the tubular member 15 with the interior surfaces23 and 24 of clamp top member and bottom member 21 and 22 in tightfrictional engagement with the tubular member to prevent any inadvertentmoving of the clamp relative thereto after once secured in positionthereon. A standard 71 of an umbrella 72 then has its end portioninserted axially into bore 54 through support member top end 52 with thestandard extending into the bore a sufficient distance to pass by theopening 61, after which the fastener 63 is operated to engage theinnermost end of the shank 62 with the umbrella standard 71 tofrictionally retain the same in the support member 12. As seen in FIGS.3 and 5, the support member 12 is moveable about the ball 56 and socket41 connection to various positions such as shown by phantomconfigurations designated generally by references numerals 81 and 82.

The mounting bracket 10 provides an inconspicuous attachment to the lawnchair 14 and may be readily attached to or removed from the lawn chair,such as should it be desirable to use the bracket on a different lawnchair or the like, with the position of the support member 12 relativeto the clamp 11 being infinitely adjustable by the action of ball 56 inrecess 43 to provide infinite tilting adjustability to the position ofthe umbrella 72 relative to the chair 14 to compensate for changes inthe position of the chair, changes in the position of the sun, or thelike. Further, the chair is readily portable from position to positionwith the umbrella being collapsible in a conventional manner so as to betransported with the chair or readily separated by operation of fastener63 from the chair for transportation in a compact and convenient mannerseparate therefrom.

It is to be understood that the form of this invention herewith shownand described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, andthat this invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement ofparts shown in the accompanying drawings or described in thisspecification as various changes in the details of construction as toshape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention, the scope of the novelconcepts thereof, or the scope of the sub-joined claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed 1. A mountingbracket intended for the mounting of an umbrella on a lawn chair and thelike to protect an individual sitting in the chair from the direct raysof the sun, the mounting bracket comprising a clamp member including atop member and a bottom member each formed of an elongated rectangularstrip of material curvingly bent intermediate its opposed opposite firstand second end portions to define a longitudinally extending concaveinterior curved surface, the top and bottom members being placed withtheir interior surface in confronting relationship with each other, thefirst ends of the top and bottom members having a transversely extendingslot in each of the ends and in general alignment with each other suchthat the slot in the top member end overlies the slot in the bottommember end, an elongated hollow cylindrical member extending inalignment with the axis of the slots normal to the longitudinal axis ofthe clamp, a side wall of the cylindrical member passing through thealigned slots to pivotally interconnect the top and bottom memberstogether and permit swinging movement thereof about the axis of thecylindrical member toward and away from each other, fastening meansassociated with the second ends of each member for detachably attachingand detaching the ends together in a releasable manner, acylindricalsocket member disposed centrally on the exterior surface ofthe top member and projecting outwardly therefrom and terminating in anoutermost top surface, a hemi-spherical recess disposed concentricallyin the socket member and opening out of the 'top surface thereof, aspherical ball member of a size and configuration complementary to thediameter of the hemi-spherical recess and disposed therein and capturedthereby for relative movement relative thereto, a portion of thespherical ball member projecting outwardly of the top surface of thesocket member, a shaft connected to the projecting portion of the balland extending radially outwardly therefrom, a support member having atop end and a bottom end, a bore disposed axially in the support memberbottom end and extending thereinto of a diameter to receive theprojecting end of the shaft from the ball member to mount the shafttherein with the ball member spaced a slight distance outwardly from thebottom end of the support member, an elongated cylindrical boreextending axially through the top portion of the support member andopening out of the top end thereof and adapted to receive the base endof an umbrella standard in a supporting manner therein, a threadedaperture extending through the side wall of the support member normal tothe axis of the support member and communicating with the bore at oneend and with the exterior surface of the side wall with the other end, abolt like fastener including an elongated threaded shank having one endthreadedly received in the threaded aperture, an enlarged head portionformed integrally with the opposite end of the bolt fastener in the formof a flattened head portion of a generally elongated rectangular shapeextending normal to the axis of the shank and adapted to be readilygrasped between the fingers of an individuals hand to effect therotation of the shank in opposite directions about its axis to move theinnermost shank fastener end thereof into and out of engagement with anumbrella standard inserted into the cylindrical bore.

2. The bracket as set forth in claim 1 wherein the cylindrical socket isdisposed on the top member of the clamp with the axis of the socketextending normal to the axis of the clamp when the clamp is in theclosed position.

3. The bracket as set forth in claim 2 wherein the top and bottommembers are identically formed as to size, shape and configuration, theconfronting interior concave surfaces of the top and bottom membersdefining therebetween an elliptical surface adapted to engage a memberof a lawn chair or the like therebetween for the mounting of the bracketthereon.

4. The bracket as set forth in claim 3 wherein the second ends of eachof the top and bottom members are each formed with an axially alignedthreaded opening therein, the fastener means for securing said secondends together including an elongated cylindrical threaded shank adaptedto be threadedly engaged in the aligned threaded openings for securingsaid second ends together, the shank having formed at the end oppositethe end engaging with the clamp an enlarged flattened head portionextending normal to the axis of the shank and adapted to be readilygrasped between the fingers of an individual s hand to effect therotation of the fastener in opposite directions about the axis of theshank.

1. A mounting bracket intended for the mounting of an umbrella on a lawnchair and the like to protect an individual sitting in the chair fromthe direct rays of the sun, the mounting bracket comprising a clampmember including a top member and a bottom member each formed of anelongated rectangular strip of material curvingly bent intermediate itsopposed opposite first and second end portions to define alongitudinally extending concave interior curved surface, the top andbottom members being placed with their interior surface in confrontingrelationship with each other, the first ends of the top and bottommembers having a transversely extending slot in each of the ends and ingeneral alignment with each other such that the slot in the top memberend overlies the slot in the bottom member end, an elongated hollowcylindrical member extending in alignment with the axis of the slotsnormal to the longitudinal axis of the clamp, a side wall of thecylindrical member passing through the aligned slots to pivotallyinterconnect the top and bottom members together and permit swingingmovement thereof about the axis of the cylindrical member toward andaway from each other, fastening means associated with the second ends ofeach member for detachably attaching and detaching the ends together ina releasable manner, a cylindrical socket member disposed centrally onthe exterior surface of the top member and projecting outwardlytherefrom and terminating in an outermost top surface, a hemi-shpericalrecess disposed concentrically in the socket member and opening out ofthe top surface thereof, a spherical ball member of a size andconfiguration complementary to the diameter of the hemi-spherical recessand disposed therein and captured thereby for relative movement relativethereto, a portion of the spherical ball member projecting outwardly ofthe top surface of the socket member, a shaft connected to theprojecting portion of the ball and extending radially outwardlytherefrom, a support member having a top end and a bottom end, a boredisposed axially in the support member bottom end and extendingthereinto of a diameter to receive the projecting end of the shaft fromthe ball member to mount the shaft therein with the ball member spaced aslight distance outwardly from the bottom end of the support member, anelongated cylindrical bore extending axially through the top portion ofthe support member and opening out of the top end thereof and adapted toreceive the base end of an umbrella standard in a supporting mannertherein, a threaded aperture extending through the side wall of thesupport member normal to the axis of the support member andcommunicating with the bore at one end and with the exterior surface ofthe side wall with the other end, a bolt like fastener including anelongated threaded shank having one end threadedly received in thethreaded aperture, an enlarged head portion formed integrally with theopposite end of the bolt fastener in the form of a flattened headportion of a generally elongated rectangular shape extending normal tothe axis of the shank and adapted to be readily grasped between thefingers of an individual''s hand to effect the rotaTion of the shank inopposite directions about its axis to move the innermost shank fastenerend thereof into and out of engagement with an umbrella standardinserted into the cylindrical bore.
 2. The bracket as set forth in claim1 wherein the cylindrical socket is disposed on the top member of theclamp with the axis of the socket extending normal to the axis of theclamp when the clamp is in the closed position.
 3. The bracket as setforth in claim 2 wherein the top and bottom members are identicallyformed as to size, shape and configuration, the confronting interiorconcave surfaces of the top and bottom members defining therebetween anelliptical surface adapted to engage a member of a lawn chair or thelike therebetween for the mounting of the bracket thereon.
 4. Thebracket as set forth in claim 3 wherein the second ends of each of thetop and bottom members are each formed with an axially aligned threadedopening therein, the fastener means for securing said second endstogether including an elongated cylindrical threaded shank adapted to bethreadedly engaged in the aligned threaded openings for securing saidsecond ends together, the shank having formed at the end opposite theend engaging with the clamp an enlarged flattened head portion extendingnormal to the axis of the shank and adapted to be readily graspedbetween the fingers of an individual''s hand to effect the rotation ofthe fastener in opposite directions about the axis of the shank.